SOME FEATURES OF THE NOVEL FORM OF KADZUO ISHIGURO (REMAINING OF THE DAY, DON'T LET ME GO)

Abstract

The article examines the signs of devaluation of humanism in modern society in the context of multicultural thinking (English - Japanese). The objects of research are the novels of the Nobel (2017) and Booker (1989) Prize writer Kazuo Ishiguro - The Rest of the Day and Don't Let Me Go. In The Rest of the Day, an English writer of Japanese descent inherits and develops the tradition of the English novel, but at the same time synthesizes the peculiarities of the English mentality with the principles of honor and service in the Bushido samurai code. The subtle irony associated with the parallel "code of honor of the English butler and the Japanese samurai," according to the authors of the article, largely explains the logic of the plot of the work. The article also notes that Kazuo Ishiguro managed to reflect the deep commonality of postcolonial Englishness with the refined Japanese perception of being and duty. Although the author himself in his interviews and comments often insists that he remembers almost nothing about Japan and that he is interested in writing on universal topics, this practically always has a shocking effect in his novels. The novel Don't Let Me Go helps to understand that the peculiarity of this work is the proclamation of humanism as one of the main values of mankind at any time and under any conditions. It is noted that this idea is manifested in a conflict with the modern interpretation of the concept. Humanistic values in the novel are also revealed in the inner thoughts of the heroine, the relationship of the heroes, the actions of the heroes, and the author, even in a non-standard anti-utopian situation of ideals, ready to reflect on the moral foundations without which human life is unthinkable. In addition, the motive of man's detachment from his roots, which is very characteristic of Japanese culture, is projected on the modern European vision of the problem.